Jurnee Coleman

On the evening of July 28, 2019, Jurnee Coleman, a 4-year-old Black girl, was inside her family’s apartment in the Marks Village public housing community in Birmingham, Alabama. Outside, an altercation was escalating. According to court records, a man named Raymond Shine confronted Jurnee’s father, Michael Coleman, pointed a gun in his face, and said, “You think it’s a game?” As her father ran for safety past the apartment where his daughter was, Shine allegedly began shooting. A stray bullet tore through the wall of the home and struck Jurnee in the head.

Jurnee was rushed to Children's of Alabama hospital, where she remained in critical condition. Her death on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, sent a wave of grief and outrage through the city. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin issued a statement mourning the loss of a child who would never fulfill her potential. “Her family will never know the woman she would become," he said. "Those hopes, dreams and aspirations have been cut down by the bullet of a careless, selfish gunman.” Jurnee's father expressed his gratitude for the community's support, saying, "I never would have thought that my daughter would have this much love across the world."

Police arrested 38-year-old Raymond Shine in connection with the shooting. He was initially charged with attempted murder and being a person forbidden to possess a firearm, as he had prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance in 2006 and 2007. Investigators recovered a pistol from a Jeep matching the description of a vehicle at the scene, as well as a rifle from Shine's home.

After Shine was released from jail on bond for the state charges, federal authorities took him back into custody in September 2019. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The case took another significant step forward in March 2020, when a Jefferson County grand jury returned an indictment against Shine. The new charges included capital murder for the death of Jurnee Coleman, attempted murder, and being a person forbidden to possess a firearm. As of March 2020, the case was proceeding through the court system.